Blog Posts From What's new at the Museum Tagged With urban_beekeepinghttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new
Hi I'm Rose, the Museum's Visit Us web editor. I hope you enjoy our blog about what's new and happening at the Natural History Museum. I will keep you posted as often as I can on events, exhibitions, new developments, momentous moments, and more.Thu, 05 May 2011 16:17:38 GMTJive SBS 4.5.6.0 (http://jivesoftware.com/products/clearspace/)2011-05-05T16:17:38ZGet into London's wildlife at our garden event this Sundayhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/2011/05/05/get-into-londons-wildlife-at-our-garden-event-this-sunday
<!-- [DocumentBodyStart:4f338e56-fec5-4435-b8b8-b4710d251701] --><div class="jive-rendered-content"><p>The Wildlife Garden is gorgeously green at the moment and smells ever so lush. And this weekend it unveils its lusciousness on <strong>Sunday 8 May</strong> for the first in a series of weekend events that will be happening each month until October.</p><p><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1753-13901/ragged-robin_close-up.jpg"><img alt="ragged-robin_close-up.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="251" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1753-13901/363-251/ragged-robin_close-up.jpg" width="363"/></a><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1753-13900/red-campion_square.jpg"><img alt="red-campion_square.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="249" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1753-13900/198-249/red-campion_square.jpg" width="198"/></a></p><h5>Pink delights in the Wildlife Garden, open for its first weekend event on 8 May: Left, ragged robin and right, red campion. <span style="font-size: 8pt;">Select all images to enlarge them</span><br/></h5><p>Our <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/events/programs/nhm/spring_wildlife_event.html">Spring Wildlife event</a> on Sunday starts at midday and along with the cakes, refreshments and a plant sale, there will be great discoveries to make at the display tables dotted around and in the meadows and the big garden shed.</p><p><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1753-13902/bluebells-garden.jpg"><img alt="bluebells-garden.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="193" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1753-13902/288-193/bluebells-garden.jpg" width="288"/></a><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1753-13906/bee-tree-wide.jpg"><img alt="bee-tree-wide.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="192" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1753-13906/287-192/bee-tree-wide.jpg" width="287"/></a></p><h5>Join the bluebell demonstration and take a peep inside the bee tree (photographed last year) - once again home to a thriving colony this spring<br/></h5><p>You can try <strong>identifying seeds and fruits </strong>through microscopes, do a spot of leaf rubbing, find out about spring-flying insects and life in the nettle patch as well as spotting enormous <strong>tadpoles</strong> in the pond.</p><p><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1753-13907/orange-tipped-butterfly-AurorafalterWiesenschaumkraut-950.jpg"><img alt="orange-tipped-butterfly-AurorafalterWiesenschaumkraut-950.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="202" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1753-13907/249-202/orange-tipped-butterfly-AurorafalterWiesenschaumkraut-950.jpg" style="float: right;" width="249"/></a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p>If you want to learn how to attract birds or bats to your own garden, catch the advice of the experts who will be in the garden. There will also be a chance to witness a demonstration of how to <strong>survey bluebells</strong> and tell the difference between native and hybrid ones, just before they vanish for the year.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p>Walk along the pathways carpeted with plane tree seeds and secluded by pretty guelder roseand dog roses (most of the blossom has gone now) and look out for the dainty <strong>orange-tipped butterflies </strong>(right)<strong> </strong>flitting about and a few busy bees making their way back to the <strong>bee-tree colony</strong> (above). Also watch out for the cute little moorhen chicks on the pond. Caroline, the garden's manager, counted five last week.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p>There are <strong>yellow iris</strong>, <strong>red campions</strong> and<strong> ragged robin</strong> wildlflowers to enjoy too.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p>At 12.30 and 14.30, you can see more specimens close up and hear from our Nature Live team at the <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="../visit-us/whats-on/events/programs/naturelive/springing_into_life.html?date=08.05.2011">Springing into Life talk</a>.in the nearby Darwin Centre Attenborough Studio.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p>Coming up next this month in the garden is the Great Museum Bioblitz on our <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/events/programs/nhm/big_nature_day.html?date=22.05.2011">Big Nature Day </a>on 22 May with a tree hunt that's also being trialled this Sunday. So watch out for more news of that.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/wildlife-garden-whatson/index.html">Find out more about the Wildlife Garden</a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p><a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/british-natural-history/survey-bluebells/index.html">Join our online bluebell survey</a></p></div><!-- [DocumentBodyEnd:4f338e56-fec5-4435-b8b8-b4710d251701] -->wildlife_gardenurban_conservationurban_gardenspond_dippingurban_beekeepingpondlifeurban_habitatinsect_identificationThu, 05 May 2011 16:17:38 GMThttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/2011/05/05/get-into-londons-wildlife-at-our-garden-event-this-sundayRose2011-05-05T16:17:38Z3 years, 11 months ago0http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/comment/get-into-londons-wildlife-at-our-garden-event-this-sundayhttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/feeds/comments?blogPost=1753Bee moviehttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/2010/08/12/bee-movie
<!-- [DocumentBodyStart:374bc652-f126-46e2-be4a-64db6ba776b2] --><div class="jive-rendered-content"><span>Get a glimpse of our thriving bee colony inside the Wildlife Garden's </span><strong>bee tree </strong><span>in our latest video on the Natural History Museum's YouTube space.</span><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1339-5495/honeycomb-up-close2.jpg"><img alt="honeycomb-up-close2.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="349" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1339-5495/449-349/honeycomb-up-close2.jpg" width="449"/></a><br/><h5>In the bee tree video, join Museum beekeeper Luke Dixon as he strolls through the Wildlife Garden and looks inside the bee tree's observation hive to marvel at the colony and its wild honeycomb.</h5><p style="text-align: left;">Watch the <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsmwljjOc7k"><span>Wildlife Garden's bee tree video on YouTube</span></a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">Luke reminds us how much we need bees and how important it is to encourage them, especially since the drastic decline in our worldwide bee population.<a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1339-5488/bee-tree-tall.jpg"><img alt="bee-tree-tall.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="244" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1339-5488/173-244/bee-tree-tall.jpg" style="float: right;" width="173"/></a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">We've been keeping bees here in the Wildlife Garden for about 6 or 7 years and in the height of the summer months our bee colony can be 50,000 strong. Once a bee emerges from its cell it can live between 3 to 6 months depending on the time of year and food available.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">This summer the bees living in the bee tree, pictured here earlier in June, have had a very successful season and have since extended the honeycomb to the very bottom of the hive.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">You can also catch up on the bee tree colony's daily progress with our online <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/naturecams/beecam/">beecam</a>.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">As the days get longer they're beginning to settle down for the winter. The male bees, the drones, are being kicked out of the hive and the number of workers is reducing dramatically as the queen stops laying eggs for new offspring.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br/>The honey that the bees have made is their winter stores, to feed on in the long, cold months when there is nothing to forage on outside of the hive. I wonder if there'll be any spare for us?</p><p><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/showImage/38-1339-5486/honeybee-wide.jpg"><img alt="honeybee-wide.jpg" class="jive-image-thumbnail jive-image" height="144" src="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/38-1339-5486/217-144/honeybee-wide.jpg" style="float: left;" width="217"/></a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">Read the earlier <a class="jive-link-blog-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/2010/06/30/the-big-buzz">bee tree blog</a>.</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;">Find out more about the Museum's <a class="jive-link-external-small" href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/life/life-small/honeybees/index.html">honeybee species, <em>Apis mellifera</em>.<br/></a></p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="min-height: 8pt; height: 8pt; padding: 0px;">&#160;</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Click on the images to enlarge them.</span></p></div><!-- [DocumentBodyEnd:374bc652-f126-46e2-be4a-64db6ba776b2] -->british_habitatswildlife_gardenbeekeepinghoney_beeshoneybeeshoneycombbumblebeesbeehivesurban_beekeepingThu, 12 Aug 2010 17:33:49 GMThttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/2010/08/12/bee-movieRose2010-08-12T17:33:49Z4 years, 7 months ago0http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/comment/bee-moviehttp://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats-new/feeds/comments?blogPost=1339